


Innocence of the devils

by meteoropera



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, M/M, Male My Unit | Byleth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:40:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24423646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meteoropera/pseuds/meteoropera
Summary: A short tale of a thief and an ex-mercenary. A student and teacher.
Relationships: Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc & My Unit | Byleth, Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	Innocence of the devils

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. I wrote this before playing the Cindered Shadows DLC so this fic is slightly AU.  
> 2\. No beta. I die like real men.  
> 3\. I wrote this when I should be asleep. Quarantine is epic.  
> 4\. Find me on twitter at @miyarante

“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche 

The first time Yuri Leclerc and Byleth Eisner met, it was through the whispers of the rogues who were his eyes and ears in the Abyss. 

Yuri was unable to determine if Byleth was an angel or a devil. 

When his blade was cleaved into two by the sword of creator, when Byleth offered aid despite having only met him for under an hour, Yuri decided that the professor was neither angel nor devil but something of a divine creation. 

A God. 

\- - -

Byleth observed as Yuri lead him around the hidden world underneath Garreg Mach. Yuri moved like he was a shadow, like he was made for the abyss. Byleth felt a corner of his lips twitch into a small smile as the impromptu leader of the secret fourth house introduced him to the denizens of the deep.

He knew every route, every stone, ever hidden corner of the abyss like it was his home. 

It is home for Yuri. 

It was where he belonged. 

Byleth wonders when Yuri had last seen the world outside. 

“Do you have any questions?” Yuri turned around, ending their tour in front of a chamber that was more tightly guarded then the rest of the underground. 

Byleth presumed that it was where the wolf's sleeping quarters. 

He had no idea why. It could've been just about any other room. Yuri had shown him where the storage, streets, inn, library and classroom were. Heck, there was even a pagan altar to a foreign deity that was not of Fodlan's origins. 

But Byleth couldn't help but wonder where the wolf and his pack slept. 

“I do,” Byleth nodded. “It might sound a bit strange but I wish to see your sleeping quarters.”

Yuri's eyes widened in surprise. “Oh my, what a strange request. Are we moving from point A to Z now?” 

Byleth felt his cheeks heat up uncharacteristically, realizing how suggestive the request was. 

“Not at all.” He attempted to recover. “On the surface, I've seen the accommodation that the students are afforded with. I am just curious to see how these accommodations are for someone like you, in the abyss.”

The trickster weighed the professor's words carefully, as if terrified that he would be left vulnerable and open if he exposed a personal part of his space. 

“If you are uncomfortable with my request, it is fine-”

“Very well.” Yuri interjected at the very last minute. “But only because you asked nicely.”

And so, Byleth watched as the wolf unlocked a heavy wooden door that had seen much more better days, retrieved a candle and walked in. The single half melted stick of wax casted shadows around Yuri's face, making him appear much more sinister.

Byleth followed closely in the dark, afraid of tripping on anything that might be lying around hapzardly on the floor.

Yuri's room was interesting. Just like how Yuri's appearence betrayed the tongue he harboured towards the world above, his room was a reflection of his deceivingly docile demenour. 

The room was damp, dim and filled with moss, as if nature was attempting to take back what she could from the wolf. 

A broken desk lay in a corner next to a moss covered mattress that was covered in animal rugs. A single chair stood beside a wooden chest where his personal belongings were locked up tight. 

There were no windows, obviously and the only sounds apart from both their breathing were the slow and steady drip of water from the moss covered ceiling. 

“Welcome to my abode,” Yuri spread his arms. “You are free to stay if you wish.”

\- - - 

“Is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?” ― Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche 

Byleth found himself returning to the abyss far more often then he would like to count. His muscles would automatically take him to the wolf's den, where his beast would read by candlelight. 

He would come bearing gifts of sweets, tea and fur for the room was extremely cold when the sun went down. 

“You will learn how to adapt to the bitter cold or the wrath of summer.” Yuri once said as he laid under the fur rug on his bed, beside Byleth. 

“It is not a life I wish on anyone.” Byleth quietly mused as Yuri ran long, slender fingers delicately through his thick blue hair. 

Yuri hummed in acknowledgement. “But no one can hurt us here.”

“No one.” Byleth drowsily agreed for the sake of agreeing, though he could think of a thousand ways the fragile peace in the Abyss could be broken. But his body was still flushed from the aftermath of lovemaking and sleep was slowly starting to take over him. 

Despite the freezing cold that could rival Faerghaus' bitter winter, Byleth found himself being lulled into slumber with the ashen wolf leader curled against him.

\- - - 

The library was filled with poetries, songs and texts of forbidden knowledge. Yuri was the jack of all trades but the master of none. 

Byleth quickly learned how efficient and erratic Yuri's fighting style was.

And it was endearing.

He was a healer, an archer, a swordsman, a formidable lance wielder and many more. 

The trickster didn't move on the battlefield. He danced from one role to another, displaying efficiency, strength and grace that put a seasoned soldier to shame. 

Byleth was impressed. 

“To live in the abyss, you have to depend on yourself and so the more skills you pick up, the better.” Yuri told him. 

“You should master one of those skill sets.” Byleth replied as Yuri hovered over him, having shed the rest of his uniform except for an inner white dress shirt.

“I did.” Yuri smirked. “And I am about to show you what is it that I am a master of.” 

Byleth raised an eyebrow. “I meant, to master a skill in the battlefield, not in your bedchambers.”

“My love,” Yuri purred against the professor's ear. “The art of seduction and pleasure is a skill that can turn the tide of war. Not all wars are fought in the battlefield.”

And Byleth found it hard to disagree with him. 

\- - - 

The idea was silly.

Their agreement towards such an idea was absolutely silly.

And yet, here they are, painting the grounds of the abyss red with their own blood. 

Byleth helplessly watched as the mad man attempted to resurrect the dead. He was powerless. 

Oh so powerless. 

The other wolves were trapped and he was the only one standing. 

What good could come out of a mere man who barged into the underworld with nothing more then untrained students as his army, an exhausted relic and close to no supplies?

Byleth kept moving forward, counting on sheer luck.

That luck ran out, finally. On hindsight, he knew it was coming but he did not anticipate that lady luck would've been as cruel as to leave him hanging by the thread. 

So close, yet so far. 

Byleth kept moving, ignoring the crunch and the unusual angle of his limbs. They were all broken and he was beginning to lose the feeling of his entire lower half. No amount of divine pulse could remedy this silly error of his. 

There was no hope of defeating Alfreic now. 

All he could do was to move forward. 

If he was going to die right down there, he was not going to make it easy. 

\- - - 

The end of his tale was nothing short of tragic. Byleth stared at the damp, moss covered caverns of the abyss. It was hilarious how the cold, uninviting underground was now considered his favourite place in the monastery.

Now, it would be his tomb, his final resting place. 

The last thought he had was of nights spent under animal rugs, body pressed against his favourite ashen wolf's slender form. 

Somewhere in the distance, the demonic beast that was once Alfreic, roared. 

His body was completely numb and his sight failed. 

But all he could think of was his wolf's eyes, of the laughter, sadness and joy they exchanged, of Yuri's unwavering loyalty and devotion towards the ex-mercenary.

For the first time in Byleth's life, he understood a foreign emotion that he thought he'd never encounter.

His last breath was smothered by flames, debris and Yuri's name on his lips, the wolf's fingers intertwined tightly with his broken, gloved ones.


End file.
